The present invention relates to video and image applications, and more particularly to a method for simultaneously processing multiple dimensional data, for example, in video and imaging applications.
Video and imaging applications may process data from a computer memory. The video and imaging data may be stored in a multi-dimensional data array. Each data element in the multi-dimensional data array may have a value uniquely associated with a pixel in an image or video frame. The multi-dimensional data array may be divided into blocks or sub-arrays, each spanning multiple rows and columns. The data elements in each sub-array may be related, correlated, or co-dependent such that instructions in a program may be executed on all the data elements together, as a group, according to conventional video processing mechanisms.
Processors may retrieve video or image data from the computer memory in bursts, bundles or groups of data elements. A burst may include multiple data elements which are sequentially ordered in a single row of the multi-dimensional data array. For example, a burst of 4, 8, or 16, data elements sequentially listed in a single row of the multi-dimensional data array may be retrieved in each load operation. Since data elements are sequentially retrieved, row by row, the burst or group of retrieved data elements (sequentially listed in a single row) often do not correspond to the group of correlated data elements (spanning multiple rows of a sub-array). Accordingly, to retrieve all the data in each sub-array to be processed together, a processor may cycle through multiple load operations for each row of the sub-array to obtain the entire group of data in the multi-dimensional array.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.